Welcome to the UK

Everything below is what we tell a founder over coffee. It is experience, not legal advice, and the rules change. Each section links to the official source so you can check before you act.

Settling in

Last reviewed: November 2026

The first month is admin, not business. Get these in the right order and the rest goes faster.

• Visa. Most French founders arrive on a Global Talent, Skilled Worker or Innovator Founder visa. Check your route before you book anything. gov.uk visas and immigration.
• National Insurance number. You need one to be paid and to pay tax. Apply as soon as you arrive, it takes a few weeks. Apply for an NI number.
• Bank account. A UK account makes payroll, VAT and rent dramatically simpler. The digital banks open faster than the high street, and most founders use one for the company and another for personal.
• Housing. Expect to prove income or provide a guarantor. A reference from your French employer or a larger deposit usually solves it.
• Healthcare. Register with a GP as soon as you have an address. The Immigration Health Surcharge covers access while your visa is valid.

Setting up

Last reviewed: November 2026

Most French founders set up a UK limited company, even when the parent stays in France. It is fast, cheap and it makes you legible to UK customers and investors.

• Structure. A private limited company (Ltd) is the default. Register at Companies House, usually same day online. Register a limited company.
• Payroll. Register as an employer with HMRC before the first payday, even if it is only you. Register as an employer.
• VAT. Mandatory above the threshold, optional below it. If your customers are businesses, registering early often looks more credible than it costs.
• Accounting. A UK accountant costs less than the mistakes they prevent, especially in year one. Ask a member for a name before you search.
• Corporation tax. Register with HMRC within three months of starting to trade.

The trap to avoid: running UK revenue through the French entity for a year "to see". It complicates payroll, VAT and the audit trail, and unwinding it later costs more than setting it up properly now.

Hiring your first people

Last reviewed: November 2026

Hiring in the UK is the single hardest part of scaling here. The Barometer puts local recruitment at 56 out of 100, the lowest score in the index. Plan for it.

• Employment contract. UK contracts look nothing like French CDI. Notice periods, probation, holiday and IP assignment all differ. Use a UK template reviewed by a UK lawyer.
• Right to work. Check every employee's right to work before day one, and keep the record. The fine for getting it wrong is per employee.
• Pension. Auto-enrolment is mandatory once you meet the threshold. Budget for it from the first hire.
• Recruiters. 15 to 25 per cent of first-year salary is normal for permanent roles. For your first UK hire, a referral from the community is usually better and cheaper.
• Sponsorship. If you need to sponsor a visa, apply for a sponsor licence before you need it. It takes weeks, and you cannot hire without it.

Finding your first customers

Last reviewed: November 2026

French products do not sell themselves here. The pitch that works in Paris often reads as over-engineered in London. Simplify, then sell.

• Start with your own network, twice removed. The warmest introduction in London is a French founder who already sells to your target.
• Speak to ten customers before you localise the deck. What they call the problem is rarely what you call it.
• Pricing in pounds, invoiced from a UK entity. Procurement teams treat a foreign invoice as a project.
• Case studies beat features. One named UK customer is worth more than a page of product detail.
• Our events. Breakfasts and dinners are where the introductions happen, not the stage. See what is on.

Onboarding investors

Last reviewed: November 2026

UK investors are faster than French ones, and less forgiving of a messy cap table. Get the boring things right before you pitch.

• Clean cap table. Every historical grant, every French BSPCE, documented and converted. This is the first thing a UK VC checks.
• UK vehicle. Many UK funds need a UK or Delaware topco to invest. Ask early, before term sheets, not after.
• SEIS and EIS. The UK tax relief schemes make early-stage investment far more attractive to angels. Structure to qualify if you can.
• Data room. Incorporation docs, cap table, accounts, contracts, IP assignment. Ready before the first meeting, not after.
• The warm intro still wins. Cold decks get read, introductions get funded.

Where to meet people

Last reviewed: November 2026

• La French Tech London. Breakfasts, dinners, the Women in Tech programme and the gala. Become a member, it is free.
• Business France and the French Chamber. The CCFGB runs regular events and is the fastest way to meet French corporates in London.
• The wider London scene. TechCrunch Disrupt, the AI and deep tech meetups, and the university alumni networks (HEC, ESSEC, Mines, Polytechnique) all run their own calendars.
• Coffee, not conferences. Two coffees a week beats one conference a quarter. Every founder we know who scaled here did it this way.

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